Prevention Tools

Prevention steps can be taken at any time – before there is a concern that a child is being sexually abused to re-establishing safety to prevent further abuse. By becoming educated about child sex abuse, you are already becoming a proactive and protective adult.

Trust your gut. You may be the only one who can take action.

Studies show that in as many as nine out of 10 cases, kids don’t tell anyone when they are being sexually abused. It’s up to adults to recognize behaviors that make kids vulnerable to sexual abuse. If something makes you uncomfortable, speak up. Your voice is the first line of defense in keeping kids safe. Talk to family members and other adults about safeguarding children.

Warning Signs

A "warning sign" is really just another way of saying an "opportunity for prevention" – a chance for caring adults to recognize possible risk and to take action to protect children. And remember- the most effective prevention takes place before there’s a child victim to heal or an offender to punish.

Everyone can take steps to prevent the sexual abuse of children. Our prevention tip sheets can help you take action to keep children and youth safe, whether it's making a family safety plan, finding a safe school or camp, or safety on the internet.

We know that lack of information is a key barrier in taking a step to prevent child sexual abuse. That's why we've also made available a searchable database of the resources used by our Helpline staff as an additional tool for understanding child sexual abuse and taking actions to prevent it.

Click here to access database to review, download or order prevention materials or search for specialized resources.

PARENTtalk: Practical Information, Hopeful Perspectives

From 1998 to 2007, Stop It Now! published PARENTtalk, a publication by and for parents and caregivers of youth with sexual behavior problems. It was discontinued due to lack of funding.

PARENTtalk archives offer practical information and hopeful perspectives for any adult looking for support in responding to sexually concerning behaviors in children or youth. To break the isolation that caregivers so often face, PARENTtalk published personal stories from families who have generously shared their experiences as well as updates from some of the leading professionals in the field.